A medevac crew from Charlie Company, 1st Bn., 169th Aviation Regiment, flew a Black Hawk helicopter from Edgewood, Md,. to assist soldiers in realistic training and aircraft familiarization. The crew members, who recently returned from a deployment to Afghanistan, shared stories and experiences with the soldiers.

“You train as you fight,” said 1st Sgt. Rick Obryan, HOC’s first sergeant. “This is battle-focused training that allows the soldiers to have the experience in real life.”

Once the company gathered at the air field, the first task was a quick review of nine-line medevac procedure. After the review, the Black Hawk arrived and the medics went over safety procedures and discussed their recent experiences in Afghanistan.

The medics instructed the soldiers on how to safely approach the helicopter and wait for the medic’s instructions. They also discussed other basic actions the Soldiers should take while on ground to make the medevac procedure run smoothly. The group practiced loading a simulated casualty onto the helicopter.

“The chance to do this hands-on was very motivating for the soldiers,” said Sgt. 1st Class David Paolini, the S4 noncommissioned officer in charge for the 741st MI Bn.
Paolini explained that the training event was a culmination of all of the sergeant’s time training of this quarter. Besides practicing litter carrying, the company also covered nine-line medevac communication, CPR, treating wounds and shock, and packaging casualties on a stretcher during the training leading up to this event.